The Connecticut General Assembly

Room 4100 • Legislative Office Building • Hartford, CT 06106-1591 • (860) 240-8500

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Todd Murphy October 17, 2014 860/ 240-8519

Rep. Pat Dillon applauds efforts to make nutritious school lunches available to all children

Representative Patricia Dillon (D-New Haven) joined USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon, State Department of Education (SDE) Chief Operating Officer Charlene Russell-Tucker, and New Haven Superintendent Garth Harries today at Ross Woodward Classical Studies School to announce changes to the nation’s school lunch program. Under Secretary Concannon announced an alternative approach for providing school meal programs called the Community Eligibility Provision, or CEP. The new, optional initiative allows eligible schools to provide free meals to all students at no charge, regardless of family income, while reducing administrative burdens and costs. “Community Eligibility is exciting nationally but especially for New Haven,” Rep. Dillon said. “More children can get school lunch, and the city actually saves money in bureaucratic costs. We eat to live, and eat to learn. This is a win/win and I’m proud that the federal, state, and local governments are working together for children.” The Community Eligibility Provision provides significant benefits for students, families, and districts by providing breakfast and lunch to all students every day at no cost to families through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. “School lunch is an essential part of every child's health, development, and academic success,” said USDA Under Secretary Concannon. “The collective improvements USDA has made to the school food environment make the healthy choice the easy choice for America's young people.” To qualify, at least 40 percent of a school’s student population must be identified as low-income children who meet criteria for free school meals. Instead of collecting individual applications for free and reduced price meals, CEP uses information from other programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Temporary Assistance Program for Needy Families (TANF).

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In New Haven, all schools meet the eligibility requirements and are participating in CEP. The district estimates that it will serve approximately 200,000 more meals over the course of the school year and realize $1.5 million more in federal reimbursement.